The Animal Interfaith Alliance is delighted that the SNP has decided to vote on the proposed amendment to the Hunting Act 2004 and warmly thanks the SNP for valuing this important piece of legislation to protect our beautiful wildlife.

At its first AGM held on Sunday 12th July 2015, the Animal Interfaith Alliance (AIA) unanimously approved the following resolution:

“That the Animal Interfaith Alliance abhors and condemns the attempt to undermine the Hunting Act 2004 by the proposed Statutory Instrument.”

The motion was proposed by Chris Fegan, AIA’s Director of Education & Campaigns and Catholic Concern for Animals’(CCA) General Secretary. It was seconded by Sarah Dunning, AIA director and trustee of the Anglican Society for the Welfare of Animals (AWSA).

The AGM followed the 12th annual Interfaith Celebration for Animals, led by AIA Chair, Rev. Feargus O’Connor, at which readings on animals were given by Anglican, Buddhist, Catholic, Hindu, Jewish, Jain, Muslim and Unitarian speakers from each of their faiths.

The keynote speaker was Dr Deborah Jones who talked on Pope Francis’ new Encyclical on the Environment, Laudato Si’ and discussed its historic importance for animals. Dr Jones is AIA’s Vice President and is also Vice Chair of Catholic Concern for Animals. A Catholic Theologian, she is author of The School of Compassion: A Roman Catholic Theology of Animals.

Dr Alpesh Patel from the Dr Hadwen Trust spoke on the humane medical research undertaken by the trust, for which AIA’s own Dr Schweitzer Universal Kinship Fund is a sponsor. The research involves no animal testing and therefore saves both animal and human lives.

AIA’s managing director, Barbara Gardner also gave an update on the progress of AIA since its formation in 2014 and expressed AIA’s goodwill and gratitude to Pope Francis for the excellent document, Laudato Si’ by lighting a candle.

Funds raised at the Interfaith Celebration will be donated, half to the Dr Schweizter Universal Kinship Fund and half to Friends of the Earth, in support of the environment highlighted in Pope Francis’ new encyclical.

In 604 AD St Melangell, the Welsh patron saint of animals, said ‘No’ to hunting with hounds and the Prince of Powys made over his lands as an animal sanctuary.

The Prince of Powys, Brochwel Ysgithrog, went hare hunting at Pennant in the Derwyn Hills. His hounds pursued their prey into a bramble thicket, where he followed them and found the young woman, Melangell, with the hare lying under the fold of her garments, praying. The baying hounds also came under her calming influence. The exasperated prince gave up the chase and, impressed by her piety and courage, presented her with his lands to be a sanctuary for animals. He gave up hunting.

Melangell lived there as a solitary for 37 years, after which a church with a shrine was built over her cell. Her church remained a place of sanctuary throughout the Middle Ages and the hares continued to be protected in the parish. The conservation society, Cymdeithas Melangell, now promotes animal welfare.

We are not God. The earth was here before us and it has been given to us. This allows us to respond to the charge that Judaeo-Christian thinking, on the basis of the Genesis account which grants man “dominion” over the earth (cf. Gen 1:28), has encouraged the unbridled exploitation of nature by painting him as domineering and destructive by nature. This is not a correct interpretation of the Bible as understood by the Church. Although it is true that we Christians have at times incorrectly interpreted the Scriptures, nowadays we must forcefully reject the notion that our being created in God’s image and given dominion over the earth justifies absolute domination over other creatures. The biblical texts are to be read in their context, with an appropriate hermeneutic, recognizing that they tell us to “till and keep” the garden of the world (cf. Gen 2:15). “Tilling” refers to cultivating, ploughing or working, while “keeping” means caring, protecting, overseeing and preserving. This implies a relationship of mutual responsibility between human beings and nature. Each community can take from the bounty of the earth whatever it needs for subsistence, but it also has the duty to protect the earth and to ensure its fruitfulness for coming generations. “The earth is the Lord’s” (Ps 24:1); to him belongs “the earth with all that is within it” (Dt 10:14). Thus God rejects every claim to absolute ownership: “The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with me” (Lev 25:23).

The Animal Interfaith Alliance believes that chasing and tearing apart our beautiful British wildlife for sport has no place in a compassionate society.

It never had a place in the teachings of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism or Sikhism and we now know, following Pope Francis’ new encyclical, Laudato Si’, it certainly has no place in the teachings of the Catholic church.

Over 80% of the British public do not want fox hunting and do not want The Hunting Act to be watered down.

Please Email or write to the SNP MPs to ask them to vote against the amendmentto The Hunting Act next Wednesday.

Nicola Sturgeon can be emailed on FirstMinister@Scotland.gsi.gov.uk

The votes of the SNP will determine the outcome.

A debate on English Votes for English Law (EVEL), being held the same day, will give the SNP a dilemma on whether to vote on this piece of English legislation. However, the timing of the two debates was calculated to prevent the SNP MPs from voting on the amendment to The Hunting Act. Please ask them not to be put off by the EVEL debate.

The pro-hunters will argue that the change in legislation, to allow an unlimited number of dogs to flush a fox out, will bring the legislation in line with Scottish law. But monitoring of hunts in Scotland by The League Against Cruel Sports, has shown that this concession in the law has been flouted by those who wish to hunt foxes for sport and therefore the SNP could be looking to tighten up the legislation in Scotland anyway. So this argument should not be used to put the SNP off voting against the amendment to The Hunting Act next Wednesday.

More than 80% of the British population do not want to see the act amended and are against foxhunting. The governing party only received votes from around 25 per cent of the total electorate, which is hardly a mandate to bring forward a cruel measure opposed by over 80 per cent of voters.

The Animal Interfaith Alliance believes that chasing and tearing apart our beautiful British wildlife for sport has no place in a compassionate society. It never had a place in the teachings of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism or Sikhism and we now know, following Pope Francis’ new encyclical, Laudato Si’, it certainly has no place in the teachings of the Catholic church.